Trimming board



R. A. WEBSTER TRIMMING BOARD Jan. 25, 1949.

Filed April 26, 1945 IN V EN T 0R. foam *4 l llasrfe.

Patented Jan. 25, 1949 Robert A.

Webster, Santa Monica, Calif.

' Application April 26, 1945, Serial No. 590,340

10 Claims. (01. 164-59) This invention constitutes an improvement in trimming boards and in adjustable guides therefen attached with The inner edge one edge and screws or other fastening means. of the ruler is then used to square the cutting edge. In practice,

the paper with in Fig. 4;

A further dependent ,a used in conjunction with each other mutual interference.

object is to An additi which may be initially ad usted to desired positions and may be rately regardless of, visibility.

Another object is to provide novel means on a trimming board to positively guide one edge of a thin sheet of material at right angles to the cutting edge of the board.

Other and further objects will become apparent as the description proceeds,

The preferred form of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a trimming board showing certain features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 modified form of stop means;

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the structure shown showing a Fig. 6 is an end view of a portion of a trimming board showing another feature of my invention; and

Fig, 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6 showing a further modification.

The trimming board, in Fig 1, has a level upper surface '3, each stop member is composed of a section of round bar binding engagement with the rail to secure the stop member circular boss adjacent one end of said member and the arm is pivotally mounted thereon. The extreme end of the boss is headed over, as at 34, to retain the arm. A vertical extension of the arm forms a to serve as a dimensional guide for to be out.

It is essential that the foot be maintained in firm contact with the board. when in operative: position so that the paper cannot slip past it.

spring device. A small hole 38 is bored partially thru the wall of member 26 and a corresponding hole 40 is bored thru depending lip 42 which is integral with the arm 32. A pin 44 bottoms in hole 38 and passes thru hole 40 and is provided with a collar 46 intermediate its ends. A spring 48, of suificient free length to be substantially compressed, is slipped over the pin between collar 46 and lip 42 and tends to constantly urge the lip away from the base of hole 38.

Since the the pivot of arm 32 the spring may elongate at each side of a center position and therefore urges the arm 32 up or down from neutral position, depending on the position to which the arm has been moved manually. Thus it tends to hold the foot 36 down in contact with the surface of the board when swung below center and holds the foot up out of the way when swung above center. I The two stop members are substantially identical in construction but are made right and left hand, as indicated in Fig. 1, so that the feet 36 may be set very close together if it is desired to cut a sheet having almost identical dimensions in width and length.

The type of stop member above described is particularly suitable for use in an attachment to be applied to trimming already in use because of the necessity for maintaining firm contact between the foot and. the level surface of the board. However, in the, case of new boards, a still further improvement is available. As seen in Fig. 2, this consists of a bed plate adjacent While this depression may be of any shape, it is preferably arcuate in cross section as shown. It will be readily seen that the footv 36, when in contact with the bottom of the depression. is well below the surface or bed plate. ll' of the board and consequently the thinnest sheet of material cannot be accidentally slipped beneath it.

When a trimming board is provided with such a depression or groove it is possible to use a simpler type of stop or guide with equal satisfaction. Such a guide is shown in Figs. 4 and '5 in which the stop member 50 is made froma piece of strap metal bent to V-shape and provided with a pair of square apertures 52 to engageand slide on Rail 22. A. set screw 54 is. threaded thru the base of. the stop member 50 to bindingly engage the support rail and hold the stop firmly in adjusted position. Arm 56 is pivotally attached to stop member 50 by a. pin 58 which may be a rivet or a bolt and nut. A spring, washer 60 is arranged to urge the. arm 56 into frictional engagement with the stop member 50 to assist in retaining the arm in any position to which it foot 36 for contact with the surface of the board the paper This is assured by the use of an over-centerbase of the hole is not coaxial with shallow depression 48' formed in the upper surand parallel to the 0 ting edge may edge,

'it-will be obvious is manually swung. Foot 62, which is integral with arm 56, is adapted to engage the bottom of the depression or groove 48'.

With either of the constructions described in detail above it will be obvious that each step may be adjusted exactly to a position in which it will determine one of the dimensions to which a sheet is to be cut and secured in that position for subsequent operations. The down into contact with the paper placed thereon with one edge in contact with the scale and another edge in contact with the stop determining the shorter dimension. After the cut is made, the foot nearest to the outbe raisedto a noninterfering position. The sheet may be again placed on the board with its. long edge against the scale and one end against the remaining stop. The second cutis then made and. the sheet is completed with its edges squared and its dimensions exactly as desired. The original settings can be made in ordinary light and the work can then be done in total darkness since there is no possibility of the stops slipping or of the operator being unable to locate the sheet. properly.

.Fig. 6 illustrates another important ieature of my invention. It has been found in practice that nomatter how tightly scale I8 is attached to the board i0, it eventually loosens or warps suificiently to allow some clearance between the scale and the surface H, as illustrated in exaggerated edge of the sheet to be slips under the scale and is not properly trued up with the cutting resulting. inaccurate cutting and wastage- The. solution to this problem is the provision. of strip 64,, located in channel 66 and extending immediately adjacent and along the entire length of scale. I18; Since the vertical edge 61, forming a. guide. face, extends vertically above and below surface Hy. it will be apparent that any sheet laid on the surface can be trued up without any possibility of error.

Fig. '7 shows a modification in which scale 58 is provided with an integral depending flange 1 seated in channel 12. to provide a vertical guide face 13 extending above and below surface H to serve the same purpose as the construction of Fig. 6. This is a particularly suitable design for construction from an angle shaped strip of extruded metal.

It will be apparent that the combination of novel features described hereinabove provides a simple, convenient, and. highly practical trimming board which is suitable for general use and is especially valuable for work in a photographic darkroom, where it eliminates any possibility of error in the locating and dimensioning of sheets to be out. It is also highly advantageous in ordinary light because the use oiv a mechanical stop gives absolute uniform'ty of dimension where a number of. sheets are to be out to the same size. Such uniformity cannot be obtained with the present practice of separate visual alignment of each sheet.

While I have shown the preferred embodiment of. the invention in the accompanying drawing that various modifications may be made without departing from its spirit or scope and it is intended to embrace all such modifications in the following} claims.

"1. In combination with a trimming board having a planar, imperforate bed plate provided with means along one edge for shearing a thin sheet of material: guide means extending along another for movement therealong to any desired position;

edge of said bed plate for substantially the ena foot pivotally mounted on at least one of said tire length of said edge for aligning a thin sheet stop members for movement in a plane normal of material; a support member mounted adjato the longitudinal axis of said support rail; and

cent and parallel to said guide means and extending along substantially the entire length of the pivotal mounting of said foot tending to resaid last mentioned edge; and a pair of stop means tain said foot in any position of angular adjustslidably mounted on said support member for lonment to which it may be set.

gitudinal movement along substantially its en- 8. In combination with a trimming board havtire length parallel to said guide means and toing a bed plate provided with means along one ward and away from said shearing means, said edge for shearing thin sheets of material: guide stop means further being mounted for substanmeans extending along another edge of said bed tially vertical movement to positions spaced above plate for aligning a thin sheet of material; said and in contact with the surface of said bed plate. guide means comprising a substantially flat,

2. The construction claimed in claim 1; in longitudinally extending strip provided with a which said stop means is provided with means downwardly extending flange; said bed plate to secure it in y s d p s on o longibeing provided with a channel in its surface cotudinal adjustment. extensive with said flange; said strip lying direct- The Construction C a med in Claim in ly in contact with the surface of said bed plate which h O d D means Comprises a first 90 and said flange extending downwardly into said part movable only in a horizontal plane spaced h nnel, above a parallel to the surface 0f Said bed 9. In combination with a trimming board havplate, and a second part pivotally mounted on ing a bed plate provided with means along one said first part r v m nt in a vertical plane edge for shearing sheets of material: guide means normal to e surface of said bed Plate extending along another edge of said bed plate In COmbination With a trimming board for aligning a sheet of material; stop means mg a Substantially Planar, imperfomte bed plate mounted for longitudinal movement parallel to provided with means along substantially the Said guide means and toward d away from said entire length of one edge for shearing thin sheets shearing means; and a depression in the upper of material g de ean eXtending along surface of said bed plate extending parallel to said stantially th ntir e th f an r d e of guide means and in the path of the lower edge of said bed plate for aligning a thin sheet of matesaid top means,

ria upp t m n xt ndin par ll l and adje- 10. In combination with a trimming board havcent to said guide means and along substantially ing a l jmperforate bed plate provided with the entire length of d t m nt ned edge; an means along one edge for shearing a thin sheet a p r y of 5 1 m s ndependently slidab y of material: guide means extending along anof sa d s p means Peing adapted 150 be moved adjacent and parallel to said guide means and explate and to be raised to a position spaced sub- Said t; tione edge; and a pair of stop s n y thereabovemeans slidably mounted on said support mem- The Constructlon m d in Claim in her for longitudinal movement along substanwhich at least one of said stop means comprises 4.; tially it tir length parallel to said guide d fir t p for Ve a vemen for substant ally vertical movement to positions 6. An attachment for a trimming board havspaced above and in contact with the surface of ing shearing means along one edge and guide 59 said bed plate; said bed plate being provided with means along another d C p s a longl a depression in its up er surface extending paralboard adiacent to said guide means, and a pluedge of said stop means may be positioned in said rahty of dimension determining stop m mb s depression below the normal surface of said bed slidably and non-rotatably mounted on said supplate port rail for movement therealong to any desired ROBERT A. WEBSTER. position a foot pivotally mounted on at least one of said stop members for movement in a plane REFERENCES CITED normal to the longitudinal axis of said support 60 The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

said foot toward positions angularly displaced UNITED STATES PATENTS from a predetermined neutral position. Number Name Date 7. An attachment for a trimming board hav- 743,650 Mancha d... Nov. 10, 1903 lng shearing means along one edge and guide 1,459,873 Blackburn June 26, 1923 means along another edge, comprising: a longi- 1,510,008 Lumb Sept. 30, 1924 tudmally extending support rail of non-circular 1,657,222 Meyers Jan. 24, 1928 cross-section adapted to be attached to said board 1,800,382 Grant Apr. 1, 1931 adjacent to said guide means; and a plurality of 1,823,268 Gordon Sept. 15, 1931 dimension determining stop members slidably 2,158,466 Little May 16, 1939 and n0n-rotatably mounted on said support rail 2,256,606 Blanc Sept. 23, 1941 

